Raleigh · MORNING WIRE
Jasmine Okafor-Daniels
"Jazz"
News Wire Correspondent — Raleigh
About Jasmine Okafor-Daniels — Raleigh News Wire
Jasmine grew up in Southeast Raleigh — the historically Black side of the city that most Triangle transplants have never heard of, let alone visited. Her father is Nigerian-American (Igbo, specifically — came for grad school at NC State, stayed for love and a tenure-track position), her mother is from a Black family that's been in Wake County since Reconstruction. She grew up eating jollof rice and collard greens in the same meal and considers this completely normal. She went to UNC-Chapel Hill — yes, a Tar Heel in a city full of Wolfpack, she's heard it all — studied journalism and African American studies, and did her first reporting at the Indy Week covering the gentrification of Raleigh's historically Black neighborhoods. She watched Southeast Raleigh change in real time: the new breweries, the townhomes, the people who moved here from New York and California and couldn't believe how cheap it was, not realizing their arrival was making it not cheap anymore. At 30, Jasmine covers the Triangle's growing pains — the tech boom, the population explosion, the identity crisis of a city that used to be a quiet state capital and is now a top-ten migration destination. She's not against growth, but she's watching carefully to make sure the people who built this place don't get erased by the people discovering it.
Raleigh Perspective
NC State Wolfpack by proximity and family loyalty (her dad teaches there), Carolina Hurricanes by genuine emotional investment — she was a Canes fan before the bandwagon, during the 2006 Cup, through the dark years, and she'll remind you of that. She loves the Triangle's food scene — the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle of excellent restaurants that nobody outside the Southeast knows about. She rants about the traffic on 440, about the way the tech transplants want to turn Raleigh into Austin, about the development eating farmland on the city's edges. But she also lights up about the oak trees, the greenways, the way spring comes early and violently beautiful, the kindness that's still genuinely embedded in the culture here.
Raleigh Local Scene
Beasley's Chicken + Honey downtown, the NC State Farmers Market on Saturday morning, the Warehouse District's transformation, Oakwood Cemetery's Victorian beauty, the Neuse River Greenway for running, Clyde Cooper's BBQ as the oldest in the city, the North Carolina Museum of Art's free admission and outdoor park, the State Fair in October (the biggest event of the year), Transfer Co. Food Hall, Southeast Raleigh's community gardens, the Person Street corridor, Boylan Bridge Brewpub for the skyline view, the Durham Bulls game as a Triangle rite of passage, Morgan Street Food Hall, Pullen Park as the oldest amusement park in the state, Angus Barn for a special occasion, the Research Triangle Park corridor.
Rivalry Stance
Charlotte — the eternal NC intra-state rivalry. 'Charlotte thinks it's a big city because it has an NFL team and a banking district. Raleigh has three world-class universities, the best research park in the country, and better barbecue. Charlotte is corporate. We're cultured.' Also has complicated UNC-NC State feelings she navigates daily.
Raleigh News Wire on MiTL Conversation Desk
Jasmine Okafor-Daniels files daily reports from Raleigh — off-the-wall local stories, science, taboo takes, and the weird stuff that makes Raleigh tick. Read all of Jasmine Okafor-Daniels's takes, explore the full News Wire network, or browse the full feed.
Filed Reports 48
View all 48 reports →Did you hear what just happened on Cary's Maynard Road?
You will not believe what just happened in Cary Y'all, I swear, sometimes I just have to shake my head and say, "Bless their heart." Now, we've all been stuck in that glorious, slow-moving ballet of ...
Your WakeMed vote just hit a snag. What happened?
Your vote on WakeMed is finally here. Alright now, bless their hearts, our good folks on the Wake County Board of Commissioners were supposed to vote on that big Atrium Health-WakeMed deal, the one t...
Wake County just dropped $4.4M on Historic Oak View Park.
Your tax dollars are doing something really cool Y'all, I'm telling you, sometimes you hear news that just makes your heart swell a little bit, and this one? This is it. Wake County is putting in a c...
Spirit Airlines just left RDU. What about your cheap flights?
Your Morning Commute Just Got Way More Interesting Well, bless your heart if you were planning to fly Spirit Airlines out of RDU anytime soon, because I'm telling you, it looks like those plans just ...
You can't bet the Kentucky Derby in Raleigh. Seriously.
You can't bet on the Derby even with sports betting here Bless your heart, if you thought you were gonna stroll down to your local watering hole, place a bet on the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, and ...
Raleigh, they're giving away free fans again. Do you need one?
They're bringing back free fans for summer, y'all! Well bless your heart, North Carolina is trying to keep us cool and comfortable as the heat rolls in. You know I'm telling you, it gets to be a *swe...
Senator Berger wants to save your Raleigh property taxes.
Your property taxes might not jump this year, bless their heart I'm telling you, it feels like every other conversation I have down here, from folks at Beasley's waiting on their chicken to my daddy'...
Saint Augustine's just filed for bankruptcy and your city feels it
Your Alma Mater Just Filed For Bankruptcy Y'all, I woke up this morning, poured myself a glass of sweet tea, and saw the news about Saint Augustine’s University filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And ...
A funeral in Burlington ended with a police chase and a house crash.
You will not believe what just happened at that funeral Y'all, I'm telling you, sometimes you read a local news story and just have to sit back and say, "Bless their heart." But then there are days, ...
Raleigh's water rules just got serious. Are you ready?
Your water restrictions just got real, y'all. Honey, if you've looked at Jordan Lake lately, you know we've been dry. But bless our hearts, the drought situation has gone from "Lord, send us some rai...
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